Nikon AF Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED VR Lens

- images are sharp throughout the range
- works best in good light and with a good flash (SB800)
- focusing is slow if the light is not good....but the AF assist by SB800 helps. it is still ok, i have shot herons at night before.
- it may run faster on a d2x but i don't know (i use a D70)
- VR works great
- really good bang for buck, $$$$ for focal length.....

this lens suits my shooting style. i need a long lens, quick to deploy and not a pain to carry around.

this lens is great if.....
1. you have a reasonable budget (ie. you don't want to blow big money on 600mm primes and f/2.8 glass!)
2. you don't want to lug a monster around and STILL get 400mm of glass
3. you want to have a long tele lens on travel trips and don't want to break your back.
4. you are progressing from 70-300mm zooms

i always shoot at 400mm with VR. pictures are so much better that at 300mm handheld. so i guess VR works in terms of camera shake.

hope this helps, from a user who owns and uses this lens.

bottomline: Get it. price represents good value - where else can you find 400mm of quality glass with VR.

Sure, it is not a super fast lens like the AFS 300m f/4 but at you will not find a better Nikkor at this price bracket that gives you 400mm and VR to go. Images are sharp from 80mm all the way to 400mm and this lens excels when there is really good light (in bright days). Easy to carry for a 400mm and very suitable for my type (and possibly yours) of shooting where I move around a lot and birds are my target. I consider this a "light-strike" lens that presents extremely good value for 400mm, VR and of course, it's a Nikkor.

This lens is a very good alternative to the 200-400mm lens. About the same speed but much smaller and less expensive. Quality is very good, as even the 200-400mm is soft when compared to primary lenes such as the 300mm f/2.8 or the 400 f/2.8. Best uses are in good lighting situations. I use mine mostly hand held for bird and deer shots and have got some real sharp results.

I purchased this lens for primarily wildlife photography when I switched over to digital with the Nikon D200. This lens is the best bet if you can't afford the high price telephoto lenses and besides, on a digital slr the lens is actually a 128mm-640mm! You can shoot a lot of wildlife with this range and the f5.6 is plenty good for sharp images, even for publication. The VR feature will spoil you. When I'm shooting elk or deer from my truck, I can do it offhand with great results! Although a steady rest is always recommended if it's convenient. Nikon also makes a VR telephoto zoom lens from 200-400, f4 (a whopping $5k), but for the extra money it's not worth paying for the extra stop you would gain. Even with a film camera, the lens is great. I highly recommend it!

We're thrilled with this lens. For a lens in the thousand dollar (US$) range, this is a great bargain. Longer focal range opens up a whole area of photography that wasn't open to us before.

The lens relatively sharp by comparison and rugged. My only criticism is the auto focus feature is a bit slow. For most shoots this is a non issue. If you're shooting sports, this might be of concern.

The VR is also something I can't speak of. I have a hand tremor and therefore have poor luck hand holding any camera/lens combo. With this lens, 95% of the shots are while on a Tripod or Monopod.

All in all, the lens is sweet and for the money quite a good deal. We would highly recommend this lens.

I bought this lens primarily for outdoor shots - scenics, wildlife, birds- and have had it for a couple of months. So far it seems excellent, although I'm still on the learning curve. I've seen many wonderful, sharp photos made with this lens. Caveat: You need a pro-level tripod/head (which I just got) to take advantage of its sharpness (Google Thom Hogan's article re tripods). This adds to the cost of using it. The VR works well for some handheld shooting, especially when you have lots of light. The autofocus is a little slower and noisier than the silent wave motor system used now, but I have no complaints. Good news: In spite of reports to the contrary, it is compatible with the Nikon TC-1.4A and TC-201 teleconverters (it says so right on the box the lens came in). I have them on order, so can't comment on their effectiveness. Downside with the converters: You lose the automatic functions - autofocus, autoexposure, not sure about VR - and thus must work in manual mode (you don't use VR with the tripod anyway), but hey, I used Nikon for many years when no camera had such automation (yeah, I'm an old guy). Some reviews denigrate the mounting collar; so far, it's worked well for me. All in all, I consider this an ideal purchase for my advanced-hobby primary interest in nature, scenic, and wildlife photography.

best bang for the buck not good in low light but with control lighting you should achieve greatness!

I dislike that the lens is not in good condition as presented in the description. This is an not a cheap lens and was used a lot.
Would not buy from this seller again.

Available from Nikon, Tokina, Tamron, Sigma and Quantaray. Prices with VR are expensive, I prefer the 70-300s and blow up, cheat and crop. If a 80-400 falls into my lap I won't kick it out of bed, but I'm not going to go a grand for it.